When you hear that a game has been in development for a very long time, it often spells doom, or at the very least mediocrity, for the title. Just look at games like Duke Nukem Forever, which was a disaster for several studios, and after 13 years of perpetual development it's still not out, or Too Human, which was announced during 3 separate console generations before it was finally released on the Xbox 360 to a resounding indifference. Way over at the other end of the spectrum, though, sits StarCraft II, the exception that proves the rule. Unlike most other developers, Blizzard is such a hugely profitable company that it can actually afford to keep a game in an extended development cycle, and today's release is the culmination of at least 7 years' work. I've known this for a while now, but I'm still a bit stunned they did that (mostly) on purpose. Here's to hoping it'll be as awesome as they clearly want it to be, and check below for extra tidbits about the game.

The game also ships with a very in-depth editor, which is a development environment in its own right. It can be pushed so far as to create games like Tetris, cart racers, or even bullet-hell shooters. Obsoive.

However, a few new tidbits have dropped recently and my head has officially been turned. First, the game finally (after 7 years of development, folks) has a release date: July 27. Second, Blizzard has revealed much more of the single-player campaign, and while the multiplayer has seemed very similar to the original, the campaign appears to be a massive upgrade in terms of available units and types of scenario. Finally, they started showing off challenge mode, which is a series of training missions designed to prepare the player for going up against other people. Roll all this up into one game (and hell, why not throw in a little Facebook while you're at it?) and I'm sooooo there.

Even though it's 12 years old, Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft is still one of the most popular competitive online games today. A big part of that success is due to its reception in South Korea. StarCraft has sold nearly 10 million copies since release, and 4.5 million+ of those were sold in South Korea. Over the years, South Korea's competitive StarCraft tournaments have evolved into a bonafide electronic sports industry, boasting millions of viewers and extensive corporate sponsorship for teams.

All of that could come to a screeching halt, though, since it was announced last week that widespread game fixing by illegal gambling profiteers has been rampant in e-sports since 2006. There is even some indication that tournament promoters were aware of the issue, but kept quiet, not knowing how to handle the situation. Several players have been implicated, including some of the most revered of all time. This is doubly bad news for Blizzard's upcoming StarCraft 2, which was hit with an adults only rating by South Korea's Games Rating Board just last week. Blizzard has stated they intend to fight the rating.